Statue of Liberty Sold at Auction

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While the above headline is obviously false, for the moment, I’ll bet you didn’t have a hard time believing it, did you? That pretty well sums up the current state of financial chaos in our country today.

Now let’s take a look at a true example. While it too is easy to believe, it’s still a little shocking to accept—but it’s true.

The tallest building in the U.S. is now owned by a London-based insurance broker and will soon be getting a new name. Chicago’s Sears Tower will be renamed the Willis Tower after the Willis Group Holdings Co.

Willis is moving five local offices and nearly 500 employees into the 110-story building. The move is expected to be completed by late summer. Willis will occupy more than 140,000 square feet at $14.50 a square foot, and the company will not be paying anything extra for the naming rights.

In 1969, Sears, Roebuck & Co. was the largest retailer in the world, with about 350,000 employees. Sears executives decided to consolidate the thousands of employees in offices distributed throughout the Chicago area into one building on the western edge of Chicago’s Loop.

The Sears Tower is a 110-story, 1,450.58-feet skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois. At the time of its completion in 1973, it was the tallest building in the world, surpassing the World Trade Center towers in New York. Currently, the Sears Tower is the tallest skyscraper in the United States and the fourth-tallest freestanding structure in the world.

The Sears Tower Skydeck observation deck opened on June 22, 1974, and is located on the 103rd floor of the tower. It is 1,353 feet above ground and is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Chicago.

I, like millions of other tourists, have taken my children to this famous landmark to experience a breathtaking view of Chicago, to experience how the building actually sways on a windy day, and to see far past the city to see Lake Michigan, and the states of Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin on a clear day. 1.3 million tourists visit the Skydeck annually.

In January 2009, the Skydeck began a major renovation, including the installation of window space which will extend approximately four feet out over Wacker Drive. The new installations will be boxes made entirely of glass, allowing visitors to look through the glass floor to the street 1,353 feet below. The idea is based on similar glass bottom attractions at the Grand Canyon and in Australia. The renovation is expected to be complete in April 2009.

In February of this year, the owners announced they are considering a plan to paint the structure silver. The paint would “rebrand” the building and highlight its advances in energy efficiency. The estimated cost is $50 million. Many will always remember the towering black structure regardless of the paint job.

The top of the Sears Tower is the highest point in Illinois. The tip of its highest antenna is 1,730 feet above street level or 2,325 feet above sea level. The antennas atop the Sears Tower are struck by lightning an average of 650-675 times per year.

Money can do a lot—both good and bad. We’re all seeing that today more than ever before. It’s changing the name of the tallest building in the U.S., but only on paper and maybe a few signs here and there. In the hearts of billions of locals and tourists around the world, it will always be the Sears Tower in our hearts, minds and memories.

By the way, this is just one of the many American landmarks that are disappearing on a regular basis. It’s been happening for quite some time, and we simply don’t seem to recognize it. Watch this column for additional examples in the near future.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Shared Responsibility

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Total involvement and shared responsibility by everyone at every level is key to the success of any organization in today’s challenging world of change, competition, and survival.

The following Generational Gem illustrates the critical need for everyone to understand that all members of the organization have something to add and should strive to make certain that they each play their role.

Shared Responsibility

My apologies if this story is well-known to you. It’s an old joke, yet a useful illustration for various themes. A mother repeatedly called upstairs for her son to get up, get dressed and get ready for school. It was a familiar routine, especially at exam time.

“I feel sick,” said the voice from the bedroom.

“You are not sick. Get up and get ready,” called the mother, walking up the stairs and hovering outside the bedroom door.

“I hate school, and I’m not going,” said the voice from the bedroom. “I’m always getting things wrong, making mistakes and getting told off. Nobody likes me, and I’ve got no friends. And we have too many tests, and they’re too confusing. It’s all just pointless, and I’m not going to school ever again.”

“I’m sorry, but you are going to school,” said the mother through the door, continuing encouragingly. “Really, mistakes are how we learn and develop. And please try not to take criticism so personally. And I can’t believe that nobody likes you—you have lots of friends at school. And yes, all those tests can be confusing, but we are all tested in many ways throughout our lives, so all of this experience at school is useful for life in general. Besides, you have to go, you’re the Principal.”

And so it is in the workplace as well. The President of the Board, the CEO, and Vice Presidents throughout the organization must “show up” ready to contribute as readily as every front-line employee on the payroll. The responsibility, successes, failures, and all resulting consequences must be shared by the entire organization. In today’s chaotic world, the presence or lack of shared responsibility can and will make a critical difference.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Let’s Review Priorities

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I struggled to decide exactly where to place this particular posting. My first thought would have placed it in our “Is It Just Me?” category. However, the more I thought about it, I had to ask myself: “What were they thinking?”

I first heard about this story on cable TV news … three different stations. Then I read about it in two different newspapers and finally checked it out on the Internet. I did so to make certain that I was getting all the facts because initially I thought it must have been a prank. However, it’s apparently one of those situations that is stranger than fiction. Let’s see what you think.

A snowy Friday night in Denver … about 9 p.m. Bus driver Jim Moffett was driving his Regional Transportation District bus on his regular route serving his regular passengers as he always has. Two elderly women exit the bus to get to their trailer home across the street.

Noting the bad weather, the rough stretch of road and the age of his passengers, the concerned bus driver left the bus, along with another kind passenger, to slow traffic and help the elderly ladies cross the road. The four people had made it about halfway across the road and most of the northbound traffic had slowed to let them go the rest of the way. However, a pick-up truck driver simply couldn’t wait and sped around traffic entering the left-hand turn lane.

He plowed right into the bus driver but not before the good Samaritan pushed the old ladies and the other passenger out of the way saving their lives. Now the bus driver is in St. Anthony Central Medical Center with bleeding in the brain, broken bones in his face, a dislocated shoulder, a possible ruptured spleen and liver and several other injuries.

Bus driver Moffett and the other concerned passenger who volunteered to assist the elderly ladies both received a jaywalking ticket from the Colorado State Patrol. The Rocky Mountain News reported that the two elderly women haven’t been cited but the investigation is ongoing. By the way, there was no crosswalk at this intersection.

I wonder how the elderly ladies felt after that incident? How about the other passengers on the bus or the local school children who read this story the following day in the paper or saw the report on television. Will they be eager to show kindness when needed?

Maybe officials should focus on painting a crosswalk rather than ticketing the good Samaritans who risked their lives to make certain the elderly ladies arrived safely at home.

What were they thinking?

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

The Billionaire Shuffle

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When you have to settle for a “single” at Wendy’s because the “double” will put you over your weekly meal allowance, it’s nice to discover that our national financial crisis is reigning despair on billionaires as well.

According to Forbes Magazine, last year the world had 1,125 billionaires. Today, there are 793. Somehow $1.4 trillion vanished.

The richest people in the world have gotten poorer, just like the rest of us. This year the world’s billionaires have an average net worth of $3 billion, down 23% in 12 months.

The world’s top three richest men have been playing musical chairs the past decade. They’ve been politely allowing the other two to enjoy the notoriety provided by that #1 position atop the list of the world’s richest. They seem to patiently wait their turn to return to that coveted position of #1.

This year Bill Gates III lost $18 billion but regained his title as the world’s richest man. Warren Buffett, last year’s #1, saw his fortune decline $25 billion as shares of Berkshire Hathaway fell nearly 50% in 12 months. Mexican telecom titan Carlos Slim Helú maintains his spot in the top three but lost $25 billion.

If you’d like a greater, in-depth glance at Bill Gates III and Warren Buffet, click on their names for our blog bios. Both have been featured in our series “Little-known Facts about Well-known Leaders.”

Below you’ll find a quick overview of the top three richest men and what’s happened to them over the past year.

#1: William Gates III

  • Net Worth: $40 billion
    (Down from $58 billion last year; was #3.)
  • Source: Microsoft/U.S.
  • Age 53. Married, three children.
  • Software visionary regains title as the world’s richest man despite losing $18 billion in the past 12 months. Now devoting his talents and riches to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

#2: Warren Buffett

  • Net Worth: $37 billion
    (Was #1 last year, lost $25 billion over the past year.)
  • Source: Investments/U.S.
  • Age 78. Widowed, remarried; three children.
  • Last year America’s most beloved investor was the world’s richest man. This year he has to settle for second place after losing $25 billion in 12 months. Shares of Berkshire Hathaway are down 45% since last March.

#3: Carlos Slim Helú

  • Net Worth: $35 billion
    (Was #2 last year, lost $25 billion over the past year.)
  • Source: Telecom/Mexico
  • Age 69. Widowed, six children.
  • Economic downturn and plunging peso shaved $25 billion from the fortune of Latin America’s richest man.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

May I Take Your Order Please?

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Our local newspaper ran a story yesterday about one of our area McDonald’s outsourcing the drive-through window. Now that takes a minute to digest, doesn’t it? On the other hand, I guess it was inevitable. Let’s see how it works.

Apparently, you pull up to your local drive-through window and place your order as usual. Seconds later, you pick up your order at the next window.

So how’s that different than the way we’ve always done it? Well, you place your order as always, but the person taking your order is now located in another city in another state. In the case of our local McDonald’s here in Michigan, we’re talking over high-speed data lines to a call center professional with “very strong communication skills” in North Dakota … over 1,100 miles away, 16 hours if you’re driving. This same process allows our order taker to communicate with those preparing the food at the next window here at our local restaurant … all within seconds. We, as customers, have no idea that our order has traveled four or five states away and bounced back before we can even start driving to the pick-up window.

For you, the customer, there are several advantages:

  1. Note the fact that you had your order in seconds rather than 10 minutes.
  2. You’ll also experience fewer mistakes in your order.
  3. Your hot food will be hotter and your cold food colder.

McDonald’s benefits from this new strategy as well. In the fast-food business, time is money. In fact, shaving a mere five seconds off the processing time of an order is significant. Test restaurants have reported the ability to process an additional 30 cars per hour, substantially reducing labor costs. They also discovered that when employees have to take orders over the drive-through microphone and deliver food at the same time, they start making a lot of mistakes. This new system has reduced mistakes considerably, resulting in fewer complaints.

Thus far, this new unorthodox procedure has produced very positive results and more than paid for the additional technology costs. If this trend continues, this outsourcing strategy could be implemented system-wide. If this occurs, you can certainly expect call centers to sprout up all over the country as many fast-food competitors follow suit.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

A Clear Vision Makes a Difference

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I once read about a very wise teacher who knew a great deal about the subject of teaching children in ways which kept them entertained as they grew wiser. Their valuable lessons were seldom forgotten as they so enjoyed their journey to wisdom. This simple exercise in learning could easily be adapted to today’s workplace and, in fact, should be.

The wise educator first divided the class into three groups, providing each group with an identical jigsaw puzzle and the same instructions: “This is a timing test. I want all of you to work together to finish the puzzle. You can talk, laugh, and have a great time. You just can’t look at the other teams. The first group finishing their puzzle correctly wins.”

Since the teacher is also teaching a valuable lesson, she does something she doesn’t share with the children.

The first group gets a puzzle in addition to the box cover which obviously has a beautiful color photo of the completed puzzle picture.

The second group gets only an identical puzzle … no box top, no picture. This group of students has no idea what the finished picture should look like.

The third group gets an identical puzzle as well. However, you’ve got to feel for this group as they do get a box cover with a beautiful color photo as well … but it’s a photo from a completely different puzzle, meaning the picture doesn’t match the puzzle at all!

Now, given what I’ve shared thus far, I’ll bet you can finish the story. The critical importance of having a clear vision is evident. Let’s see how the kids did.

All three groups are giddy and excited to jump into the project.

The first group completes the puzzle correctly in a mere three minutes … all done, perfectly correct.

At this point, the second group seems to be struggling but is making some progress. They’re about 60% complete.

The third group seems to be on another planet altogether. Total confusion, no progress, and growing frustration. In fact, you can see the stress on the face of each child. What began as fun was quickly growing into agitation.

When she congratulates the first group and asks how they completed the task so quickly, they simply respond by saying something like: “We just looked at the picture on the box, and it was easy from there. It just sorta came together.”

By this time, the second group is nearing completion. She asks them how they did and heard hesitation in their explanation: “Well, we started with the corners because that seemed to be the easiest way, but it was still pretty slow.” It obviously took them a lot longer than the first group.

The third group has made very little, if any, progress and the teacher could actually sense the frustration in the air. Several members of the team have actually given up and have started separate conversations with one another. At this point the teacher admits that their cover photo looks nothing like the finished puzzle of the other two groups.

She then provides the third group with the proper picture and they are pleased at how quickly they assemble the puzzle correctly. She then explains the lesson they had just learned.

Now consider how easy it is to apply this valuable lesson to the workplace.

Does your staff have a clear vision of what is expected of them?

Are they more like the second group of students who had no vision and had to cautiously feel their way along?

Maybe they’re like the third group who had the wrong vision … wondering why they were getting nowhere as they became more and more frustrated.

Wouldn’t it be rewarding if your entire staff had a crystal clear vision like the first group of students? This group with the clear vision is usually twice as fast as the group with no vision. Consider the third group which had the wrong vision … hopeless, frustrated, agitated and angry.

Again, visualize your current staff. Are they facing a pile of puzzle pieces scattered everywhere, while holding the wrong cover? Or do they have the correct puzzle photo, or worse, no puzzle photo at all?

The choice is yours. Many claim they simply don’t have the time to dedicate to creating and communicating a vision. Pause and rethink the results of our three student groups. Apply those results to your staff and you’ll quickly realize that you’d best make time to create and communicate that all-important vision.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

We’re Losing Irreplaceable Icons

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The list is obviously far too long to publish here, but we’re losing truly talented people who will be difficult to replace. In the last six months alone, we’ve lost such notables as actor James Whitmore, author John Updike, actor Ricardo Montalban, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, French legendary fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, and actors Charlton Heston and Paul Newman.

Just recently, we lost one of the most gifted and beloved broadcasters in our nation’s history—Paul Harvey. He was 90-years old.

He provided us with 70 years of:

  • a radio career predating TV and continuing into the Internet age
  • his homespun take on the day’s events
  • 15-minute monologues delivered with frank but rhythmic drama
  • his apple-pie conservatism
  • his signature signoff: “This is Paul Harvey … Good Day.”

In 2000, Paul signed a 10-year $100 million contract with ABC for two daily news and commentary segments and the evening “Rest of the Story” human-interest clip which is on 1,100 radio stations and an additional 400 belonging to the Armed Forces Network.

Earlier in the year, we featured Paul as part of our blog series “Little-known Facts about Well-known Leaders.” This article will provide you with an in-depth glimpse into a captivating career of the man who was known as the “Voice of Middle America.”

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Good News in Bad Times

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I must admit that I’m growing weary of the news. Radio, TV, newspapers, magazines, books and the Internet seem to be fighting for the right to tell me how miserable my life is at the moment. They also seem to enjoy telling me that it’s going to get much worse before it gets even a little better. I don’t need that.

Then it dawned on me. I’m letting “them” do that to me. I’m not required to listen or read what they say, and I certainly know how to separate reality from negativity. Therefore, if I’m interested in finding some “good news,” it’s up to me to find it.

I was actually astounded at how simple it was to find good news. Seek and ye shall find. I did just that, and here’s what I found within a single hour.

* * * * * * * *

A young lady named Jennifer Flood claimed she had had good experiences with Craigslist. So she and her two sisters posted an ad in the “volunteer” section that began: “Please help. My dad needs a kidney.” After his lone kidney was damaged, her father faced years of waiting for a donor matching his rare blood type.

His three daughters sifted through more than 100 responses and found donor Dawn Verdick of Monterey, California, who had been searching for volunteer opportunities. Dawn traveled to New York to give up her kidney. Doctors said that she and Daniel Flood were as close a match as relatives—while Flood’s three daughters were tested and found to be incompatible donors.

* * * * * * * *

Auctions of foreclosed houses seem quite commonplace today. Foreclosures are an opportunity for some and agony for those losing their homes. In Texas alone, almost 9,200 homes entered the foreclosure process in a single month.

Marilyn Mock, a small-business owner from Rockwall, Texas, had accompanied her son, who was interested in buying a house, to an auction in Dallas. She and her son took a seat among the crowd waiting for the auction to begin. She found herself sitting next to a woman who was obviously very upset and crying.

Marilyn introduced herself and tried to calm the crying woman. She quickly discovered that she was talking to Tracy Pottsboro who had lost her job and then her home when she couldn’t make the mortgage payment. She was here today to watch her home be auctioned off.

Long story short—Marilyn Mock bought the home for $30,000, insisted that Tracy move back into it and make payments to her instead of the bank.

* * * * * * * *

Dave and Lisa Barham own Mr. B’s Pancake House in Muskegon, Michigan. During increasingly touch economic conditions, the couple have communicated honestly with employees at the restaurant’s staff meetings. They’ve shared what it takes to keep a business open. Every employee knows how much a sausage link costs, what the water bill is and how much it costs to lease the building. They’ve even learned the impact of losing a napkin. The Barham’s have reached into their own pockets several times to meet the restaurant’s payroll for their 31 employees.

They’ve also obviously gained the respect and support of not only their employees but their customers as well. On a recent Sunday, 17 employees worked for free to help the Barhams save some money. One of the employees said: “This is a wonderful business. We want to see it succeed.” At the end of the day, they’d saved the boss about $700.

Here’s the irony … The employees didn’t go home empty-handed Sunday. Their customers pitched in with a generosity all their own, leaving $800 in tips for the loyal employees. What goes around comes around!

* * * * * * * *

Eleven-year-old Mikela Mercier is an athletic young lady living on the Big Island of Hawaii. She was recently shopping with her mother at the Salvation Army Family store in Kona when she paused to look at a Richard Simmons VHS exercise videotape.

When she slipped off the cardboard jacket to look more closely at the tape cassette, out popped a wad of cash.

Realizing it must have been a mistake, young Mikela made a beeline for the store manager and turned in the money. Wedged in with “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” was $1,000 in $100 bills!

Mikela immediately ran to her mother and explained what happened. She said she knew that the money rightfully belonged to the Salvation Army so the agency could help people in need. She quickly turned it over to the store manager.

As a token of its appreciation, the Salvation Army has offered the 11-year-old good Samaritan a gift certificate she can use the next time she shops at the thrift store.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Creative Search Continues

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A few weeks ago I shared a list of creative company names and signs in an article titled Search for Creativity. Since that time I’ve received several contributions to this on-going list to add to those I’ve continued to discover myself.

In our “Get Back in the Box” creativity presentation, we constantly remind attendees to be on the look out for examples of creativity everywhere they go. They’re all around us. We pass many of them daily but seldom recognize or acknowledge them … kind of a “functional blindness.” The reason is simple. We don’t respond or appreciate these examples because they’ve become part of our daily environment and simply blend into our subconscious rather than inspiring us as examples of what can be achieved if we’ll simply re-frame on occasion.

Take a look and appreciate the creative juices which flow across our country.

  • HIS and HAIRS (salon)
  • HAIR FORCE ONE (salon)
  • SUNNY & SHEARS (tanning and hair salon)
  • C U LATTE (coffee shop)
  • LATTE DA (coffee shop)
  • A SALT & BATTERY (fish and chips)
  • JAMAICAN ME HUNGRY (Caribbean cuisine)
  • PLANET of the GRAPES (wine and spirits)
  • EN THAI SING (Thai food)
  • MUSTARD’s LAST STAND (hot dog stand)
  • FRANKS for the MEMORIES (hot dog shop)
  • THE COD FATHER (traditional fish and chips—We’ll batter anything!)
  • PIZZA D’ACTION (pizza shop)
  • LETTUCE SOUPRISE YOU (soup and salad)
  • IT’S ABOUT THYME (restaurant)
  • GARDEN of EAT’N (restaurant)
  • FU’s RUSH INN (Chinese food)
  • MOON WOK (Oriental food)
  • THAI ME UP (Thai food)
  • HOLLY, WOOD, & VINE (flower shop)
  • ENCHANTED FLORIST
  • GET PLASTERED (contractor)
  • ALL STRINGS CONSIDERED (knitting store)
  • KNIT HAPPENS! (knitting store)

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

Little-known Facts about Well-known Businesses – The Container Store

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Based on your location, you may very well not have one of these unique stores in your area. However, due to its continued success and growth, there’s an excellent chance you’ve heard about The Container Store.

From humble beginnings in a rented storefront with a wooden box for a cash register, Garrett Boone (chairman) and Kip Tindell (CEO and president) opened a small store in 1978 specializing in home organization products, such as wire shelving, plastic shower totes, shoe bags, food packaging, knife and peg racks, and bins. In so doing, they created a new retail category with a first year start-up of just $35,000 and a company that has steadily grown revenues by approximately 25% per year ever since!

Today, it boasts 45 stores in 18 markets in more than 15 states from coast to coast, mostly in major cities in California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New York, and Texas.

While these background facts are interesting, they have little to do with the “uniqueness” of this organization. Culture, however, has everything to do with its success and distinctiveness. Let’s take a look at some of the factors which make up this rare culture and the results which have evolved.

The store founders embrace the idea that if you treat your people well, success will naturally follow. Some business owners claim that employee loyalty is directly tied to how good employees feel about their jobs. It’s a debatable concept, but it seems to be working for The Container Store.

It currently boasts more than 3,200 very happy employees. In an industry where 100-percent turnover is common, The Container Store boasts a very low 15- to 20-percent. Forty-one percent of new hires come from employee referrals. It’s also landed the company on Fortune magazine’s annual list of “100 Best Companies to Work For” every year since 1999. The Container Store also received the Retail Innovator’s Award from the National Retail Federation based in Washington, D.C.  In addition, it received the Workforce magazine Optimas Award in the category of General Excellence for outstanding people-management strategies.

To achieve the company’s primary goal of providing extraordinary service, each store has a full-time trainer, and all employees receive more than 241 hours of training for employees in their first year—an astonishing feat for a retailer in an industry that usually provides workers with an average of seven  hours of training per year. After their first year at The Container Store, full-time employees receive an average of 160 hours of training annually.

Employees at each of the 45 stores use “the huddle,” as it’s officially called, twice a week for 10 minutes, before or after the start of business, for everything from discussing operations to getting fired up about sales. These huddles have evolved into a very effective all-purpose communication tool.

They also symbolize The Container Store’s reputation as an enjoyable place to work: Three times (most recently in 2001), the company has topped Fortune magazine’s list of “100 Best Companies to Work For.” It’s clear that The Container Store’s huddles are so successful because its employees want to be part of this winning team.

One of the most popular ways that employees acknowledge each other is through the celebration mailbox, a voicemail system designed for employees to leave stories about good service experiences they have observed.

Not long after creating the company, founders Boone and Tindell created innovative parameters called foundation principles. They are a set of humanistic, spiritually based, do-unto-others philosophies. These principles are practiced internally among employees and are reflected in how they treat each other and how the company treats them. The six value statements represent a collection of business philosophies and stories that embody how they think a company should be run. Most companies deliver their values statements in a formal document, but Boone and Tindell prefer to dress in costumes to act out the stories. “It helps people remember them,” Anderson says. “We use storytelling to keep our employees focused on our culture. It’s very important to our success.”

The Container Store’s Continuing Education program is a great example of unique employee growth opportunities hosted at the home office. Continuing Education is a three-day intensive training program for career-minded employees from all areas of the company. Each department within the company develops a creative presentation for the Continuing Education class to provide a better understanding of each department’s function. Additionally, participants enjoy a four-hour rotation in the Distribution Center.

Customer service is The Container Store’s core competency, so hiring people who are self-motivated and team-oriented with a passion for customer service is key. Ultimately, this translates into a strong customer-service philosophy that allows all employees to take ownership of the company and make decisions based on their own intuition and discretion. The company strives to astonish its employees, which makes it an easy proposition for them, in turn, to astonish customers.

Looking beyond the minimum-wage concept, The Container Store has taken the bold move of paying employees two to three times the industry average, which cultivates fierce employee loyalty. “Kip and I worked for 18 years very closely on building the structure that allows us to pay more—to think out of the box and devote 10 percent of store sales to payroll,” Barrett says. The industry average is 3 to 4 percent. This goes back to focusing on what the company considers its number one asset: employees.

The Container Store employees enjoy tremendous benefits which most certainly account for their loyalty and low turnover. Those benefits include:

  • Security in a financially strong company
  • Great pay and exceptional training
  • A 40% merchandise discount
  • A special 50% discount on elfa, its best-selling product
  • Casual work attire
  • 401(k) plan with matching company contributions
  • Medical/Dental/Vision plan for full-time and part-time employees

Everything puts The Container Store at the top of Fortune magazine’s list of “Best Companies to Work For” year after year.

Based on its continued success and rapid growth, The Container Store may soon be in your area. Regardless, there’s much to learn from this unique and productive culture.

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.